Last week, Microsoft silently changed Get Windows 10 yet again. And this time, it has gone beyond the social engineering scheme that has been fooling people into inadvertently upgrading to Windows 10 for months. This time, it actually changed the behavior of the window that appears so that if you click the “Close” window box, you are actually agreeing to the upgrade. Without you knowing what just happened.
Previously, closing this window would correctly signal that you do not want the upgrade. So Microsoft didn’t change the wording in the window. It didn’t make an “Upgrade now” button bigger, or a non-existent “don’t ever upgrade” button smaller. It pulled a switcheroonie. It’s like going out to your car in the morning and discovering that the gas pedal now applies the brakes, while the brake pedal washes the windshield. Have a fun commute!
Insanity. No better than those web ads that use dialogs to prevent you from closing them. In fact – this is probably even worse.
One good thing came out of the whole Windows 10 upgrade mess: Many users have now realized who their computer’s real master is. And what is the only way to wrestle back control over their computer.
Agreed, which is why I ditched Windows 13 years ago for Linux on all of my desktops, laptops and server and never looked back. What did it for me was XP’s “new” product activation feature which would deactivate your PC if a motherboard or new graphics card was added. I’m not calling Microsoft to beg to use MY computer thank you very much. Frankly, Windows 10 is hideously ugly and flat and the start menu is ridiculous. I support PC users and I always replace the default start menu with ClassicShell (emulates the Windows 7 start menu) and my users thank me profusely! I have a feeling that there is going to be some legal fallout to Microsoft’s sneaky tactics to move users to Windows 10. In the meantime, it’s a fairly easy matter to go into services and simply disable the Windows Update service permanently.
Yeah, I totally disabled Windows Update almost a year ago. I still use Windows 98, XP and 7 mostly for gaming, although my CCTV system is currently on Windows 7, updates are disabled on that too, and my Multimedia system that is on XP.
Microsoft can go jump down a big hole and immolate themselves, the bunch of scumbags. No chance that Windows 10 virus is getting on my machines!
I have moved more to Linux this past year, Windows 10 is the age of the Linux desktop after all.
But isnt running Windows unpatched on the internet tantamount to digital suicide .. ?
If it turns out that way, blame Microsoft! They are the one’s forcing people to avoid upgrades so as to avoid the Windows 10 “downgrade” treachery.
Even for people that like and want 10, the way they have gone about it is completely immoral and tantamount to been a trojan/virus.
Microsoft have lost any and all trust that they did have in the computing world!
As for running unpatched. No it isn’t, a lot of what you hear is FUD by inexperienced users or folk that trawl dubious sites or porn sites that infect you faster than a Tasmanian Devil can move!
Keep a well configured firewall and use common sense, along with a good virus killer and you will be pretty safe.
Even my Windows 98 machines haven’t been infected, and that hasn’t been patched in years. The only time I got a virus was on Win98 back in around 97/98, I had just come over from the Amiga and started web browsing, as a inexperienced user I visited some nefarious web sites and soon wondered why my PC was doing some bloody weird things. I soon learnt where not to go after that!
No, this is horrible advise that doesn’t even work for the most experienced users. My parents would get infected just like that!
You don’t need to go to the darkest corners of the internet to get infected, just being unlucky with bad ads will get you there sometimes, even on high profile websites. Ad-blockers might save you from this, or not if you download software from sites that are meant to download software from (zdnet, filehippo, etc). Again, my parents wouldn’t know that they should avoid those.
Mostly, I would recommend people to just do the upgrade. Everybody that I talk with likes 10 better than 7, the upgrade just works and hardware and software is supported. I was really surprised by how well this works because I always recommended against upgrades in the past (clean installs FTW!)
But if you want to stay on 7, keep Windows Update on and install https://www.grc.com/never10.htm. It is a very minimal tool from one of the most trusted guys on the internet.
This whole forced upgrading of Windows 10 is so unwanted and unneeded. It is really disgusting behavior by Microsoft. I am really afraid what they are going to do after the Anniversary Update becomes available and is no longer free. Will they suddenly suggest that Windows 10 is no longer a recommended update? Or will they actually keep pushing it this agressively and then pop-up a message with a link that says “you have 30 days to pay up or get deactivated?”. Either scenario is crazy
Rubbish! It’s advice that’s worked well for me and others for years.
You seem to have skipped the part where I said “Common Sense”, without that your getting infected no matter what you run!
And why aren’t you teaching your parents where they should download stuff and what to avoid?
Also just because YOU don’t care, and will accept Windows 10 without question, do not expect others will and try and force them on to it, (sorry, advise to accept it).
And what ads? My firewall is also a proxy server that removes them. Again, “common sense”.
Folk don’t cross the road with a blindfold on, so why use the internet with the equivalent? As I once learned, once bitten, learn what the hell your doing, or be prepared to reinstall every week!
If your common sense adictates to not browse the internat at all then fair enough, it’ll keep you safe and you can continue using no-longer maintained software (along with other precautions like an all-blocking firewall). Otherwise though luck : security is not just about staying on reputable websites or even keeping your actual OS trojan-free anymore.
For some very niche computer uses by expert users, not upgrading is fine. For most people, it’s not an option worth considering.
While pushing users to upgrade is the responsible thing to do, Microsoft is indeed pushing things unacceptably far, and users are rightfully angered.
But don’t you see the irony of being angry at microsoft but still keep all those Windows versions around ? On top of being unmaintained (aka insecure), Windows XP thu 8 aren’t owned or controled by the user any more than 10 is. If you’re angered by Microsoft’s tactics (which are nothing new), then move away from Microsoft’s platform alltogether. There’s no good reason to cultivate your anger nor to keep using an unmaintained OS.
You need to read what I wrote more carefully and let it sink in.
I never suggested anything about not using the internet, quite the opposite.
And which planet are you from suggesting that XP is no more user controlled than Windows 10? Are you living with your head buried in sand or something?
Finally, apart from it’s not your place to tell me which OS to use or not, you obviously didn’t read the first comment very carefully, I use a number of OS’s, both old and new. Windows 98 through to 7 mainly for gaming, the rest is mainly Amiga OS3x, BeOS, Atari Basic and Linux.
You have no idea what my reasons are for using a unmaintained OS and it’s nothing to do with you so butt out. As for cultivate my anger? That’s pulled right out your ass, where have I even suggested that I’m angry at Microsoft, or anyone else?
I will be quite happy running my unmaintained OS’s for years to come, just not Windows 10 or anything like it.
I don’t need no help from you thank you very much!
Hahaha, I can’t say anything else except, read what I said more carefully.
It is advisable before coming out with a load of tosh!
Ignoring the angry/aggressive parts of your other comment, but replying to some other bits:
The level of ownership/control was already pretty close to zero in XP already (I return the diagnostic of ignorance/denial to you if you tought XP was much better on those points). Windows did become more resilient against user tampering from Vista onward, but this is just thanks to better technology, a natural progression of what Microsoft has always worked towards.
I don’t share your happy trust that blocking ads and running an antivirus is enough to protect you from the Internet, if you are running an old OS which lacks preemptive protection measures and will (eventually) force you to stick with an old browser and old antivirus/firewall too.
I did reread through your previous posts, bu these points still stand.
There are some good reasons to keep outdated software around (for example the OS collector usecase from another comment on this page).
You haven’t stated yours except a dislike of MS’s behavior and the changes in Windows 10. That’s a good reason to not upgrade to the next version of Windows (I reached the same conclusion at the time of Vista, although I had migrated away already at that stage). But that’s not a good reason to stay with an old version of Windows.
Just ignore the guy. He clearly doesn’t understand what the word “common” in “common sense” means. And he actually thinks that the setup he has created for himself is something that common people would use. He even admits that while he was behaving like common people he did get a virus.
But now he became an expert and thinks that everyone should ignore common sense and instead should mimic his setup, which is pretty decent, but still all it would take is for 1 image library (jpg/pdf) to have some security flaw that he didn’t patch, followed by 1 corrupt file
You’re assuming that Microsoft’s patches actually plug holes. They don’t. Windows is such a swiss cheese of security issues that in reality, it doesn’t really matter if users apply updates or not. It’s like locking the front gate in front of a house where half the windows are broken out and the front door is unlocked.
I switched to Mac OS X full time after seeing the absolute pile of dogsick that Win8 Developer Preview was
I could never get graphics cards to work with linux. It would always stick in very low resolutions
I remember that, but, in my very early days of Linux experimentation, the bigger problem was that I didn’t know about the Alt+LeftClick shortcut for moving windows without grabbing the titlebar and my monitor was smaller than 1024×768, so I had trouble using anything X11 because I couldn’t access the action buttons at the bottom of dialog windows.
Edited 2016-06-06 06:12 UTC
It’s apparently affecting the enterprise world too, or at least the GWX icon somehow made it onto our workstations at work. Our IT staff is top-notch so this is obviously something that flew under the radar. So much for the “Windows 10 upgrade program won’t affect enterprise deployments” crap they said last year.
I am assuming your IT staff based that on this blog post: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/charlesa_us/2015/06/12/get-windo…
That was followed up with this post that specifically mentioned that a patch should be prevented from installing and that it would be a good idea to apply some GPO/registry settings.
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/charlesa_us/2015/06/25/how-to-re…
I also don’t understand how Microsoft can first say “it won’t happen on domain joined pc’s / VLK / Enterprise”….and then says that you should take action anyway. This whole thing is such a mess
If your IT department did it correctly, the GWX icon will still be there. Just if the user clicks on it, it will see a message about the advantages of Windows 10 and that the administrator has unfortunately disabled the upgrade.
Yeah, not sure about that. Since the heyday of MS, we’ve grown accustomed to other masters of our data and devices:
Apple, MS, Google, Facebook, uber.
No one cares. just make the good parts good enough.
I’m just as guilty. I don’t like the tactics, but lets face it win 10 is much better than win 8
Bill Shooter of Bul,
You’d probably agree alot with this guy then, who thinks the forced tactics and privacy issues are very deceptive but chooses to go with windows 10 anyways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXTWCqTRIag
It seems to be one of those things that nearly everyone agrees is totally unethical but still aren’t willing to make a stand. For me personally though, I refuse to accept it. As long as I have a practical choice, I’m actively avoiding windows 10 out of protest for microsoft’s lack of respect towards customers.
I would be one of those guys as well. If I had to avoid every OS, every product because I disagree with something I couldn’t use a pc or perform my work. I just work around the kinks, educate myself and others, complain through several channels and hope these problems get less instead of worse.
I am not affected by the push to Windows 10 because our company wants everyone to run Windows 10.
I am not affected by the privacy issues because (for every previous Windows version as well) we always configure Windows to avoid such issues
I applaud that stance.
Except that if your practical choice is to stick with an old Windows version, it won’t remain a reasonable choice forever (the threshold is partly subjective, for me Windows 8 is already an unreasonable choice).
What are you going to do when your prefered version of Windows becomes too old to be a practical choice ? Upgrade to 10 and cry foul ? Upgrade to 10 and convince yourself that it isn’t so bad after all ? Or laugh because you’ve already moved to a platform with the same functionalities and better ethics ?
moltonel,
Yes that is the dilemma.
It’s upsetting that MS has so much disrespect towards users in the first place. If another company without a desktop market monopoly tried to pull this BS, it would be the end of the company. However just like you’ve argued, microsoft is banking on people not leaving, regardless of the protests, due to the fact they have a desktop monopoly, which imposes practical limits on our choice.
We have to ask ourselves how did it come to this point. Should we, as a society, be tolerant of deception, manipulation, and force instead of having companies competing on merit? I’m certainly not ok with that, and if it’s allowed to continue I think it will just keep getting worse. So I’m kind of hoping there will be lawsuits to tell not only microsoft but all companies that this BS is not ok at all*. We want a healthy market where all products including windows succeed entirely on their own merit. Deception, manipulation, and force should not be tolerated at all.
* Of course the problem with this is that it presumes that government exists for the people, rather than for corporate interests.
Actually, I’d argue that government–more specifically, those who run government–are just like everyone else, and they are out for their own interest. At the moment, this coincides with corporate interest and is likely to do so for the foreseeable future, as big companies have a lot more money than little people to grease the pockets of the powerful.
One way we arrived/remain in this situation is by never questioning the ‘MS has a monopoly and we have to follow it’ mindset. I might have been too subtle but my point was that there’s not much forcing you to stay with Windows. If you got to the point that you refuse to upgrade to windows 10, you really should leave the Windows plarform alltogether. The Linux world always had unquestionably better ethics, and the number of things that you can do on Windows but not Linux has shrunk to almost nothing (thinks in good part to Valve for working on the biggest remaining usecase). I haven’t had to touch a Windows machine for 15 years, but that didn’t reduce my scope of computer use, leisure or professional. Linux isn’t all singing and ponies of course, but neither is Windows.
That’s why I have more than one machine. My main machine runs Linux (and has been since 2003) and, every now and then, I add a new machine to my quarantined subnet (DHCP and a local DNS resolver on 192.168.0.1/192.168.3.1 (the router), NTP and chrooted SFTP to 192.168.0.2 (my desktop PC), and nothing else, hanging off its own dedicated interface on the router) to supplement Wine for my game-collecting hobby.
(So far, I’ve got a P133 dual-booting DOS622/Win311 and Win98SE from my old install media and a WinXP Pro machine that I’ve carefully preserved the original activation on while fixing it up so I can keep the moral high ground.)
Edited 2016-06-04 00:33 UTC
It just seems odd that *this* is the biggest problem you have with them causing you to abandon windows.
Not the shady dealings in the 90s that killed off OS/2 or BeOS or Netscape. Or when the screwed over Sun. Or Novell. Or tried to kill of Linux and all GPL software. Or went after Android. Or killed off Nokia. Or Borland.
Its microsoft, they have a pretty substantial body count. But hey they killed another puppy. I Guess that 1001 th puppy was one too many, eh?
Oh, that’s easy. This is the “1001st puppy” as you put it, and it was their puppy not someone else’s.
darknexus,
That’s very true. MS has a long history of attacking others, as Bill Shooter of Bul pointed out. However as malicious as they’ve been to competitors, at least they still generally tried to do well by customers. Intentionally tricking users is low, even for microsoft. Showing such blatant unapologetic disrespect towards the customer’s own wishes really seems to have started with Windows 8 & metro, which I didn’t get on board either.
I don’t get the recent Microsoft hate, I really don’t. They’ve always been horrible towards users, with the possible exception of devs.
Except they haven’t.
They have a long history of monopoly abuse, but that only indirectly hurt their users.
They use the popularity of their file formats to prevent interoperability, but that primarily hurt users of other systems.
Then there was Windows 8, which was an irritation to some, but it was easy enough to stay with Windows 7 – just like users rode out Vista by sticking to XP.
Windows 10 marks a departure from that. They now directly try to monetize their users by collecting data from them and shoving ads in their face.
Alfman’s comment summarized it pretty well.
Edited 2016-06-04 13:02 UTC
No, they have been rather customer hostile from way back. E.g. Microsoft official stance, this century so far, has been on assuming their customers to be criminals and it is up to them to prove they are legitimate Microsoft customers if they’re to “enjoy” the privilege of using their own computers.
The problem is that many people have developed a weird sort of Stockholm syndrome regarding Microsoft, that manifest as amnesia and eternal moving of goal posts; every new hostility by Microsoft is denounced, mildly, and all the previous ones are either forgotten or somehow made “acceptable” because they were not as bad as the current one.
It’s like a slow boiling pot of water, and the frogs keep getting used to the recently hotter water…
Edited 2016-06-06 00:10 UTC
I don’t think so. Windows Genuine Advantage only ever affected a small minority of their customers, namely those who don’t use the version of Windows that came legitimately preinstalled on their computer.
Not necessarily. WGA isn’t some special butterfly that’s immune to having its state corrupted and I remember being called in by people who wouldn’t know OEM from WEP because their big-brand, off-the-shelf WinXP system decided it wasn’t genuine after the manufacturer support period had expired.
Edited 2016-06-06 23:21 UTC
Yeah, This x1000.
Stockholm syndrome… You’re right, Tylerdurden.
Wonder up to which point this is principal or collateral.
Aren’t Apple & Google captives also Stockholm syndrome patients?
Unfortunately, the mobile world already trained users they don’t own their devices, so the vast majority will accept it for their computers too.
seems to be the only word to use for this behaviour.
How much of SatNad’s bonus is dependent upon getting a billion users converted, sorry absorbed into the Borg by July?
Dear MS, after using Windows since 3.0 I will NOT, repeat NOT upgrade to Windows 10. It does not matter if it is free or even if you give me $500 to run it for a year, I do not want it ever.
Regards,
An Ex Windows developer who have moved to Linux and OSX.
Right on!
On Android, I want to have updates.
On Windows Phone, I want to have (official) updates.
On iOS, I want to have real updates that don’t slow everything down.
On OSX, I want to have updates that don’t remove functionality that my programs rely on.
On Windows, I want to have updates.
…but that is what I want, others might want something else. That means that it would be nice to get a “do you want this update?”…but also “no means no”!
As read here: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/67662/thurrott-daily-jun…
That is based on this article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/01/windows_10_nagware_no_way_o…
The hardware is yours but Windows doesn’t belong to you, it never has. You licence permission to use it.
In theory, they can withdraw that licence from you at any time, so (still in theory) you would have an unlicensed windows 7 box in your office which as anyone who works for a company of any size will know is a “no go”. Upgrade forced.
It’s all about trust. An operating system is just for supporting the applications that run on it.
If Microsoft does not control the support offered by other developers, they should not force this.
Talk to AutoCad (for eg) to make a windows 10 patch for their 2013 version. They will gladly ask you to buy the newer version that does mostly the same thing..
I agree with what they are trying to accomplish, but it may be too little too late.. This should have been done 10 years ago, when Apple changed the entire game.
Microsoft don’t support the apps that run on the OS. They only support the languages/runtimes.
Call up Microsoft with your AutoCAD problem? They will point you at AutoCAD.
Apple’s game changer was they don’t even pretend to support their older OS versions even with their own apps. Try running a Final Cut Pro 7 (2011) on a new Mac. We have different expectations with Windows, some fair, some not.
I don’t know about the US, but I’m pretty sure that over here in Europe, being a license (standard, not yearly) doesn’t allow :
– change of terms after the sale
– revoking at the wish of microsoft
In fact, the only difference there is coming from it being a license rather than a hard sale is that you can’t sell copies of it (you can resell the original, though). In other word pulling this kind of crap is clearly illegal.
Well, I’m talking as a watcher on the fence, munching popcorn, as I’ve been exclusively running linux for more than 15 years…
There’s being illegal, and then there’s being enforced. Given the EU’s track record though, they’ll probably go after Microsoft and demand some solution that will not help anyone. Maybe this time they’ll get a Windows U edition which will have Windows Update removed entirely?
Don’t get me wrong: Microsoft need to be attacked left and right, by everyone, for this crap. The EU though has a terrible track record where going after Microsoft is concerned.
darknexus,
MS isn’t dumb, MS lawyers, business strategists and PR are obviously ready to defend their deceptive practices. But what a lost opportunity to make the windows experience more positive for users. Why can’t windows come without the bullshit? The sad thing is this BS may actually be paying off. Since so few users are actively objecting, MS is actually being rewarded for it’s actions.
A popcorn-er, Trenien is…
Cheers!
I’d love to think Microsoft are undermining themselves, but are they really? Users will bitch, cry, rant… and then bend over and take it, like they always do. Microsoft’s Windows 10 success numbers will go up, and nothing will change. Then they’ll do it again, and again, and again…
Most people should upgrade to the latest Windows version.
Most people should upgrade to the latest iOS version.
Most people should upgrade to the latest Android version.
Most people should upgrade to the latest OSX version.
Most people should upgrade to the latest Ubuntu, Mint OS, Fedora, Steam OS, browsers, Flash Player, 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation, XBox firmwares etc.
Consistency is important to me. Maybe it’s underhanded or something to trick people into upgrading – but really, MS should have been always silently updating their OS since at least 1995, maybe earlier. They started late, and they don’t have it right yet, but I’m glad they are finally doing it. Hopefully Google will join them with Android.
And yes, I do get that license changes and privacy are important, and worthy of complaining about, but so is consistently keeping everyone on the latest versions of important software – for both security and capability reasons.
Yes, if the update fixes StageFright 3.0, not if Google changed the UI from Android to Metro and suddenly starts showing ads in your launcher… if you get my point.
Edited 2016-06-03 21:20 UTC
It’s not just UI changes that come with all that though, it’s APIs, and runtimes, and new tech that you can’t get in the old system, better sandboxing for everything and security – and it all comes hand in glove with attempts to iterate forward on the UI. You can’t really separate that kind of progress. It’s gotta happen at the same time, and when they make a mistake like making metro take over the desktop, that’s a valid complaint, but holding on to some old piece of junk instead of iterating forward? That is not the position of any kind of technologist, that’s just some kind of Luddite tragedy.
But look at Windows 10, it’s actually a joy to use – it’s faster and more stable than Windows 7, they are finally cleaning up the control panel (though clearly still a work in progress), adding a Linux sub system, anti-virus is built in, and you can even get metro apps without having them take over the parts of the traditional desktop metaphor that actually work.
So yeah, Windows 8 had some mistakes -but under the hood it got a lot right (it was noticeably faster than WIndows 7), and the APIs that developers can use are far ahead of the older system, and the only thing holding us back from using those great new APIs are hold outs who won’t upgrade (when it’s not free, for good reason, granted).
Apple and Android Nexus has it right – free OS updates. Everyone complains endlessly when they can’t update Android. When MS finally joins the rolling update band wagon, it’s all bad, the sky is falling.
I’m just tired of this bizarre internet post tendency that people have to freely express negative only criticism stemming from some kind of offended whatever, without acknowledging the positive at the same time. MS is finally updating and iterating on one platform all the time – that’s fracking fracking fantastic! Good for everyone. There are problems with Windows 10 and some licensing terms, but it’s all pros and cons – both good and bad, not either or – either and/or – but all we get is expressions of the negatives. I probably need to just turn this off. It’s all just this generation’s CB radio anyway. BAh!
And if you really like Windows XP – get Window Blinds:
http://www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds/images/wb10/wb_ss/XP-…
You are ignoring the fundamental changes of the windows 10 business model – it’s moving away from selling the os towards making money from the users as an advertising platform and software store.
Many of us here already disliked the latter model in our mobile os, and getting it shoved down the throat in the desktop space is particularly galling.
I acknowledged the problems with their license changes, and other problems. I said it was pros and cons. You listed only a con.
I ignored nothing.
Edited 2016-06-05 03:55 UTC
Ah, I should have been even more clear ^_^ ; the reason I don’t state pros is that the con in question is a deal-breaker.
CaptainN-,
The real improvements are fine, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t want that. However in no way does that make shady tactics justifiable. You do realize that 100% of this criticism is microsoft’s own fault, right? More than anyone else in the biosphere, microsoft has fueled this criticism by it’s own actions.
Seriously if MS focused on a positive marketing campaign and earning people’s trust, then windows 10 would be an easy guilt-free choice for most and we wouldn’t even be having this discussion at all. Microsoft is doing this on purpose. Think about that.
OK, CaptainN-, This is the more iterative Microsoft in my life -covering all of Microsoft existence-. Hopeful about this new -really professional- attitude to sustain. </Said_In_Between_Teeth>
I have no problem upgrading– I’m usually the first on my block with a new version of Windows / Linux / Android.
But I want it to be when *I* want it to be. I don’t want a late night call from my retired / disabled mother telling me that her computer just switched to Windows 10 even though she told it not to.
I don’t want to discover that it uninstalled my AV program and replaced it with Microsoft Security Essentials.
At least it was easy enough to roll back, but of course, the first thing it asked me after rolling back was “Upgrade to Windows 10?” without any easy method of saying “NO!”, and while I could have walked her through the rollback, I couldn’t have walked her through uninstalling the update, or the update installer, or the update installer update.
Security updates? Hit me. As long as the ABI stays consistent, I’m OK with that. UI, API, and other major internal changes? Ask me. Let me schedule it, let me test it out thoroughly beforehand in a controlled fashion.
As far as I’m concerned there’s no difference between Microsoft’s tactics, and Java bundling the Ask! toolbar, or Adobe ramming McAfee into your downloads, or quicktime taking over the entire image graphics stack, or real player taking over your entire multimedia codec stack, or the latest browser search hijacker.
It’s all reprehensible, and makes me think perhaps we shouldn’t have eliminated public flogging.
“As far as I’m concerned there’s no difference between Microsoft’s tactics, and..”
Cheeses! Grat.
[But You are right]. Don’t care to keep my paleolithic linux environment [at least is predictable]. Feeling sad about those folks -family and friends included- mental health.
MS should not trick people into installing Windows 10. That’s simply not okay (but most people really should upgrade – yes it looks different, deal).
I’m glad they are uninstalling third party anti-virus software. Most of it is scamware/bloatware/fear-monger-ware, even (or especially) the big names, and most of it makes computers run like total crap. Then people blame their hardware – it’s old and slow, just like an aging kangaroo – or they blame Windows. Also, they don’t call it MSE in Windows 10, it’s just Windows Defender.
While you may like the idea of Microsoft/Windows 10 being the application police on your computer, many others aren’t so thrilled about it. I don’t need or want Microsoft/Windows 10 doing anything to software I install. At the very least their policing of my software should be optional.
” …sorry, I mean `collecting telemetry`. Nobody is actually pro-loss of privacy…”
From privacy point of view Mobile Great Actors a lot more invasive. On that ground quite don’t get all the fire going to Microsoft.
Except when any of the above is applicable.
The problem with most people is that since they are not you or me, their problems don’t matter. If their perfectly working device gets updated to be broken or made to feel obsolete, who cares.
Most people doesn’t mean everyone. Your exceptions make some sense. I stand by my statements.
By the way, that problem with older hardware getting slow after upgrades is rampant in the land of iOS. Android doesn’t have that problem precisely because most of those devices don’t ever receive an update.
It’s all pros/cons, and that one is worth thinking about.
It’s that easy:
* you merge the .REG file with the 2 keys that (should) deny any upgrade
* you run the open source tool (hosted with source on GitHub, right) that:
1. adds 100 hosts to the Windows firewall
2. adds 100 hosts to the… ahem hosts file
3. uninstalls and (re)hides 50 tracherous updates (that MS keeps getting marked as important or unhides at will)
and that’s all… for now…
Oh, and yes, you will get paranoid and Google search each new update because you can newer know… say that optional KB3xxx62 is bad, that KB3xxx50 same.
Brb, I need to write another company wide email with “Did you get the annoying Upgrade Windows taskbar icon again? Do reply…”
After years of hating MS it was starting to get harder which made me uncomfortable. Now I can freely hate hard with a clear conscience again.
To the party. Still wine and cheese?
OS upgrades [this is not an irrelevant update] can’t happen without EULA agreement.
Elders, youngest, and digitally challenged folks should be restricted to limited accounts.
We need computer anti-rape laws.
No means: Yes
No no no no no no no no no *sob* Noooohohohohohoooooooo noooooo means: yes.
Go away means: Yes.
That’s not the only thing that microsoft wants to control: I had a friend who called me because they couldn’t log into their computer in windows 10.
It so happened that the local account had been replaced by the microsoft e-mail as a login after using the app store, and as the tip of the iceberg, it used an older version of their hotmail password (the previous one the user had in fact).
Now I don’t know if he changed it afterwards on his device, but I had no way of getting him back in his system after that, because he didn’t remember his older password and did not have a recovery USB setup.
It was a nightmare to get his system back running, since by default, it didn’t have an administrator account once it shifted to the online login.
Screw Microsoft and their poorly (or maliciously) thought system.
“[Microsoft] Word is ‘greedy’ by design…’
;D
https://news.vice.com/article/edward-snowden-leaks-tried-to-tell-nsa…
Many sins on Microsoft conduct. Greed not one of them.
Instead of polishing and enforcing Licensing for a Healthy Ecosystem. They started an interminable ‘tarantella’ dance with developer|user surfaces, driving everybody crazy -internal minions included-.
I just disabled windows 10 upgrade. Unbeknownst to Microsoft I have already slated my next os to be Slackware 14.2 when it comes out. When it does, I will download it and buy their 64 bit dvd and install that as my next OS upgrade. This is the last computer in the house allowed to run windows. I just upgraded to windows 7 about a month ago and already the computer is running much slower although a rather like windows 7. I am not sure why Microsoft does not understand why force never works. I just bought a windows 10 pc for my son at Christmas and he started complaining right away. I took the hardrive out and put a new one in, installed Linux Mint and he cannot believe the difference although he is having to learn more about the computer.
It’s kind of a shame as I rather like Office 2016 and SQL Server, but I just cannot stomache windows 10. Microsoft could win over so many customers if it just got with the program that the rest of the world is on, namely, the *nix or Gnu. Stubborness does not pay off sometimes. Imagine all the free development work Microsoft would get if it opened up its code base completely. Recompile all your code, open it up completely, and build a new business model. A business model that allows people to add/change/modify,share, and improve. Imagine the freedom your company would have in directing its future….????
Yeah… none. Look, no one can sell Linux to the end user. Red Hat tried. Novell tried. Canonical is still trying, and failing. You can’t sell free, and no end user is going to go for “support contracts” or any of that nonsense. Easy on the idealism. It’ll only make it harder when you hit reality outside of your home.
Microsoft should go back to doing what they did before: charge for operating system upgrades and leave the bottom-feeding advertisers out of the picture. That’d solve the upgrade by force problem right there.
Lacking and unfit to purpose, today’s Linux. But not dangerous, as others.
The one I would recommend to anyone eager to start learning IT.
Yes, I will concede you point. It’s difficult to sell free and its a difficult business. I just think that MS is out of touch with the computing science world. At least get on the same platform, since their software is in demand by businesses. When Win8 came out, I laughed so hard. The company I worked for lost so much business in the way of laptop computer sales, it wasn’t funny. So many people have asked me to convert their pc’s. MS has cost companies so much in support, its a waste of resources.